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Jump to navigationJump to searchBunheads by Sophie Flack (view source)
Revision as of 07:58, 2 September 2020
, 07:58, 2 September 2020no edit summary
|summary=A quiet but very realistic look at the struggle ballet dancers have and what happens when a girl has to choose between her career and love. This deserves to be read by more than just ballet fans.
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Nineteen-year -old Hannah Ward, a dancer with the Manhattan Ballet Company, has devoted her entire life to dance. She works hard, watches her weight like a hawk, and navigates the complicated maze of relationships with the rest of the company who, in many cases, are both friends and rivals. But then she meets musician Jacob, and she realises just what she's missed out on while growing up like this. Will she do the unthinkable and give up her career, or pass up the chance of love in the hope of gaining success in the ballet world.
I've always been a massive fan of ballet books - when growing up, Jean Estoril's ''Drina'' series and Lorna Hill's ''Sadler's Wells'' books were two of my favourites, and they're some of the few classics of my childhood that I still revisit. Given the amount I've read, I would say I know a fair amount more about ballet than the average reader probably does. For example, I know what terms such as ''maneges'', ''tombes'' and ''soutenus'' mean, but think the majority of readers would perhaps have found it more accessible with a glossary in the back.
Overall, this is clearly going to appeal most to ballet fans, but is well-written enough to be enjoyed by anyone looking for an introspective book rather than an action thriller. I'm not sure if Flack – who's also a visual artist – is planning on writing more books in the future, but I'd be very interested in reading them if she did.
For another introspective read for teens, [[Drawing with Light by Julia Green]] is superb. They might also enjoy [[Hider, Seeker, Secret Keeper by Elizabeth Kiem]].
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